Kwoto Cultural Center
K W O T O:
The word “Kwoto” is a Toposa word. The Toposa tribe lives in Torit province of the Eastern Equatoria State in
Southern Sudan. Their first ancestors came to the present land where they live, with many other tribes called “Ateker” (which means people from one common father/s).
The “Ateker” have the following group of people: The Dodos Vie, Karamojong, Iteso and Kumam in Uganda. Iteso and Turkanan in Kenya. Jie and Toposa in Sudan. Dongiro also known as Nyangatom and Nyamatom, along the Kenyan, Sudanese and Ethiopian borders. The Plakeal, known as Teus or Ik, on the borders of Kenya, Sudan and Uganda.” (History of the Rift Valley of Kenya, East African Literature).
When the Toposa came from Najie to the present area, they brought along with them the “Sacred Stone” of the covenant called “KWOTO” and placed it east of the Loyoro River. It is the Sacred Stone that unites all the Ateker people among themselves and with God. It protects them and their cattle from evil.
Kwoto was established in February 1994 at the Actors Association in Omdurman. At that time, it had forty-five members drawn from the Southern and Nuba displaced boys and girls around Khartoum City.
Mission:
Kwoto is a non-profit making organization seeking to promote peace, reconciliation, civic education, culture of reading among the Sudanese society using performing arts (drama, dance and music), library, debate and discussions with emphasis to the Southern Sudan and the other marginalized cultures of (Nuba Mountains, Southern Blue Nile etc..)
The Objectives:
- Strengthening the Southern identity by animating their cultures artistically (theatre, music, singing, dance and puppet) as a contribution to the national cultural identity.
- Adopting the Southern Sudanese languages as a theatre medium, in order to uplift and develop them.
- Collecting and classifying the Folk-tales, oral traditions or rather intangible heritage, using some which are suitable for drama and other literary works.
- Making use of the theatre as an open popular university which contributes to the socio-economic development of the Southern Sudanese communities.
- Providing some entertainment, relaxation to soften the acute hardship, burdens appalling conditions of the internally displaced people.
- Bringing back through the means of theatre the displaced Southerners to their roots, cultures, languages, customs and traditions.
· Creating a suitable atmosphere for young Southerners to exchange views, experience, interact and encouraging them to acculturate among themselves.
- Offering opportunities to young gifted men and women of the South to promote and channel more artistically and scientifically their theatrical potential skills. As well as encouraging the spirit of creative playwriting, which will then find the way to stage and publicity?
- Posing the question of Southern Sudan cultures through discussions, talks, seminars, research and lectures etc.
- Making use of the moving libraries (the Elders) by offering them opportunities to share and contribute as experienced and knowledgeable storage of the local societies.
- Dramatizing some information connected with HIV/AIDS, health-care, childhood, and home economy to help raise the living standard of the displaced population; that is in collaboration with the institutions concerned.
Performances and participation:
Within the years (1994- till now) Kwoto Culture Center, has achieved the following:
o Presented 2000 shows in the areas where Southern populations dwell. (Hag Yusuf, Mayo, Al Fetihab, Joborona, Jebel Aulia and Wad Ramily etc.) As well as performing in Wad Madeni, Kosti, El Obeid,Kosti, Port Sudan, Shendi, Atbara, Kassala, Wau, Juba, Renk and Malakal, Abyei, Khadoguli, Omsardibba etc…
o Participated in the workshop entitled: “ The Role of Drama in Environmental Awareness” (Folklore Dance Theatre, August, 1994, organized by The Sudanese Environmental Conservation Society in collaboration with Ferrderich Ebert Foundation. Also another workshop entitled “Displacement as a subject to Drama” by the same organizations, at the same venue and month.
o Participated in Khartoum International Music Festival – Omdurman National Theatre, the falls of 1994 and 1996.
o Different shows to the NGOs and Diplomatic Cultural Centers in Khartoum (French + British), DED, UNICEF and German and Sudanese Club.
o Co-produced with UNICEF Emergency Education Unit in Khartoum an audiocassette, featuring the songs of the displaced schools’ children 1995.
o Participated in Carthage Theatre Festival – Tunisia Oct. 1997.
o Invited by the courtesy of Ford Foundation and African Royal Society-London to present a paper on KWOTO Theatre Experience to The African Literature Department - School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) University of London, as a part of (AFRICA 95 events Oct. 1995 – London)
o Participated in Dubai International Marketing Festival March/April 1999, within the Sudanese village. Kwoto participation together with the National Folklore Dance Troupe of Sudan, has resulted in the first prize of the Festival:” The Best Representation of Cultural Heritage in the Global Village”
o Produced two cassettes (Audio- video) featuring the various traditional songs and dances of the Southern Sudan and the Nuba Mountains.
o Was the main artistic group hosted in the Festival of the Shell and Sudanese Sound Recording Company for the falls of 1998 and 2000, 2005 held at the Friendship Hall – Khartoum where Kwoto performed unforgettable shows.
o Conducted a three-day concert entitled “Peace through Music” in collaboration with the Igd al Galad Singing Group, with the support from the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Khartoum. June 5-8-10, 2000, at the Friendship Hall and Comboni play Ground.
o Kwoto group visited Rome for performances, invited by the curtsey of the Khartoum Archdiocese on September/October 2000, on the occasion of the canonization of Sr. Josephine Bakhita by Pope John Paul II.
o Staged together two shows with Pete Lockett of England, who was visiting Sudan by the Courtesy of the British Council, on March 1st, 2001 at the British Ambassador’s Residence and on March 3rd, 2001 at the Omdurman National Theatre – Khartoum State.
o Kwoto won the best prize Scene-graph for the play “ The Case of the Donkey’s Shadow” and the best prize of the actor in the play: “The Fence” during the Al Bogga Theatre Days at Omdurman National Theatre on March 27 April 3, 2001.
o Produced for Sudan National Television, a video clip featuring six songs and dances from various areas of the Southern Sudanese July 2001.
o Participated in Festival Mundial in Tilburg-Netherlands May 28th June 18th, 2003.
o Participated in the Canonization of Bishop Daniel Comboni in the Vatican- Italy on October 2003.
o Participated in the Youth International Forum in Barcelona- Spain, August 2004.
o Participated in the final Signature of Peace Agreement Accord in Nairobi- Kenya
9th January, 2005.
o Participated in the International Workshop Festival in London on October 21-31, 2005.
o Participated in the First Culture Week organized by the Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sports of Government of Southern Sudan- Juba May 16-22, 2006.
o Toured the Eastern Equatoria, Torit, Kapoeta, Narus Nimoli, and visited kwoto scared stone cited august 19 , 2006.
o Visited Western Bahr El Ghazal (Wau & Mapel) during Christmas 2006, where the group performed several shows for the Wau populace and the outskirts.
o Executed a program entitled” Support the Library for Civic Education & CPA – Comprehensive Peace Agreement, Supported by USAID, where 35 universities students received a one week training on CPA, conflict resolution, leadership, advocacy, culture and co-existence.
o Nominated by both the Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sports of Federal and the of Southern Sudan Governments to represent the country in the 6th Pan African Music Festival (FESPAM) in Congo-Brazzaville. The group extended couple of days to perform in Democratic Republic of Congo for the Sudanese expatriates.
Kwoto Cultural Center won the following prizes and attributes:
(The best folkloric presentation at the Global Village at Dubai International Marketing Festival 1999).
(Won the best prize for the scene-graph and the best actor prize during Al Bogga Theater Days 2001).
(Won the Bronze Medal for the best video clips during the Arab Television and Radios Association Festival held in Cairo 2002) The clips were (produced by Sudan Television, shot in Khaldoguli and Dalling in Southern Kordofan) featuring six traditional dances from Southern Sudan danced by Kwoto group.
(Won the attribute of Courage and working for peace and Democracy from World Movement for Democracy – during the Third General Assembly of the WMD In Durban 2003, among other Sudanese organizations. http://www.wmd.org/third_assembly/courageTributes.html )
(Won the 1000 women for Peace Noble Prize, through its member Anita Batris Amiro 2005. www.1000peacewomen.org/typo/index.php?id=38&L=1)
Anita Batris Amiro
“I use my talents as a dancer, actress and singer as a means of celebrating the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-religious background of our Sudanese society.”
Kwoto Cultural Centre (KCC)
Anita Batris Amiro (32) is one of the pioneering Sudanese women who contributed to founding the Kwoto Cultural Center (KCC) in 1994. She is a singer, dancer and actress. Her works cover the entire Sudanese states, especially the capital Khartoum, where they are presented in international festivals and film competitions. Anita works hard to effectuate peace and love and to promote human rights in order to enhance the conditions of the displaced citizens of southern Sudan and the entire country.
Contact persons: Mr. Derik Uya Alfred “Managing Director”
Tel: (00249 183) 78 14 10 – Office
(00249 187) 51 51 09 Home
(002499 1) 2253651 Mobile
Fax: (00249 183) 78 14 11
E-mail: derikalfred@yahoo.com
Skype: derik.uya.alfred
Address: Kwoto Cultural Center-Khartoum
P.O. Box 11452 Khartoum-Sudan
Tel: (00249 183) 78 14 10-Office
Telefax: (00249 183)11 7814 -Office
Web-site: http://www.kwoto.org (under construction)
Registered under the Ministry of Culture & Tourism,
The National Council for Arts Preservation No. 50
May 20, 2001
Location: Plot No. (19) Sq (2)
ِAl Sharief Al Hindi, junction Cont Mukhlis Streets
Khartoum-East
Members: 35 student volunteers (male & female)
The Beneficiaries: The displaced Southerners in the North, as well as the entire Southern and Northern Sudanese.
